March 28, 2003
Walk the New Loop of the Portland Women's History Trail
The public is invited to celebrate the grand opening of a
new loop of the Portland Women's History Trail by taking one
of two free guided tours beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, April
5. The tour will depart from the Maine College of Art, 522
Congress Street. A reception will follow the tours at 3:30
p.m. in the Porteous Building Lobby.
The "Working Women's Trail" tour will examine the realities
of women's lives in Portland at the turn of the 20th Century.
Visitors on the tour will see familiar buildings and places
where women worked in various professions -- from fish-canning
factories to chewing-gum factories, print shops to prostitution
houses.
"People like seeing a new view of history," says Eileen Eagan,
associate professor of history at USM. "History is often seen
as old guys on horses; people like to see women included.
They get to go outdoors and see the buildings where people
lived and worked. We also focus on a lot of different ethnic
groups that lived in Maine, such as African Americans, Irish
women, Jews."
The other tour on Saturday is an art walk, inspired by ideas
and images from the "Working Women's Trail." Participants
will be treated an installation of original prints in the
Portland Arts District created by MECA printmaking majors
in collaboration with Lincoln Middle School seventh graders.
This is the first part of the Portland Women's History Trail
that has involved artists in the creation of a visual component
for the trail. These hand-pulled prints will be on display
in the storefront windows until April 28.
According to Elizabeth Jabar, assistant professor of printmaking
at MECA, "Our process of working as artists that we shared
with the middle school students is our unique way of evaluating
history by making new comparisons, revealing an unknown event,
offering a new recognition of women and giving voice to an
untold story. "
The Women's History Trail was first developed in 1994, through
a grant from the Maine Humanities Council. USM faculty and
students have done extensive research to uncover places and
people to include in the trail. In addition to the new "Working
Women's" loop, the trail includes the Congress Street Walk
that tells the story of "Women at Work and in the Arts;" the
State Street Walk, "Women in Philanthropy and Religion;" the
Munjoy Hill Walk that illustrates "Women and Diversity in
Maritime Portland;" and the West End Walk, "Women in Medicine
and Community Activism."
Narrated tours of the Women's History Trail are available
during the summer by arrangement. For a self-guided tour,
a booklet entitled "The Portland Women's History Trail" is
available at the Maine Historical Society, USM Bookstore,
and at area bookstores. For more information, contact Patricia
Finn of the USM History Department at 780-4284.
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